The needle exchange program in Portland will not be changed after all members of the city council voted against Mayor Mark Dion’s plan last night.
Dion’s proposal would have offered a one-for-one exchange instead of the current arrangement allowing people to get 100 clean needles for every dirty one turned in.
Doctors, nurses and social service providers spoke out against Dion’s plan some residents expressed support for it.
Dion wrote an opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald in September, where he announced his intention to try and scale back the program. Four city councilors – Anna Bullett, Regina Phillips, Kate Sykes and Anna Trevorrow -said this week they would oppose the plan. The Monday night vote was 7-1 with only Mayor Dion voting in favor.
The needle exchange rate was altered during the pandemic from one to 100 clean needles for each dirty one turned in.
However there have been growing complaints about discarded needles causing danger in section of the city cluttered with needles in parts of the city.
Needle exchange is a harm-reduction tactic meant to curb the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV because people are less likely to reuse or share needles. Some studies have shown effectiveness in achieving that goal.
Also Monday night, the city council unanimously adopted a plan to use opioid settlement money to fund a needle buy-back program for a year.
The Press Herald reports the program will pay people 5 cents per used syringe they return to the city with a cap of $10 per person per day in an effort to address “needle litter” in the city.
